Getting Your Just Desserts-Fruit

Fruits come in such a wide variety of flavours, textures and colours that everyone can find at least a few they like. But despite their natural sweet, healthy goodness, we still don’t eat enough of them—about 4 servings a day! Fresh, canned or frozen, fruits provide dietary fibre, carbohydrates, vitamin C and a lot of other nutrients. The following ideas will help you get your just desserts—fruit!

With the abundance of fresh fruit available in summer, creating fabulous fruit salads is a cinch. Give them a tropical flavour with mango, papaya and star fruit and some fresh grated ginger. Sweeten them with honey or maple syrup. For a refreshing summer treat, serve fruit salad over ice cream. Wedges of blanched lemon give salads a sunny look. Bring the meal to an elegant close with a simple yet sophisticated dessert of hulled and halved strawberries lightly drizzled with a premium balsamic vinegar. Try the following recipes: exotic fruit salad and peppery two melon fruit cup.

Homemade popsicles are a great way to make sure that kids get their recommended daily allowance of fruits and dairy products. Simply whip up some pink panther (yogurt, milk and red fruit) or a soymilk and fruit combo for the lactose intolerant. To update an old saw: a popsicle a day keeps the doctor away. For more sure hits, try the following recipes: waffles with fruit coulis, maple fruit ramekins, and three-fruit mousse.

• Foods that will have you thinking warm thoughts!
• Fruit-Natural Summer Sweets
• Be cool with a smoothie